Hi, I’m Kimberly and welcome to my blog, “With Oxygen on my Back”. I have been on oxygen 24/7 since November 9th, 2015 and it has impacted my life in multiple ways. I was born with a heart defect called Tricuspid Atresia, which means that my tricuspid valve did not form leaving me with only half my heart. I had multiple heart surgeries by the time I was five years old. It has caused other issues but one main one is the oxygen. For some reason the pressures in my heart went up making the pressures in my heart higher then the pressures in my lungs. This made my deoxygenated blood bypass my lungs and go straight to my heart, causing my oxygen to drop.

I have been lucky in having an amazing support system around me. My friends and family make sure that I am taking care of myself and not pushing myself too much. However, they do support me and encourage me in whatever it is that I want to do. It helps me know that they don’t see me as someone who can’t do something because of the oxygen, but they see me as someone who does what I can even with the oxygen. I have promised myself that I would not let it stop me from following my media dreams. I want to inspire people and let them know that just because you are on oxygen doesn’t mean that your life stops. It just means that things are a little different. I started an instagram for my oxygen machine, which I named Zanna, which you can see in the photo above. You can come follow Zanna and I’s journey on Instagram at www.instagram.com/adventures_zanna.

I am so excited to start a blog about people who are dependent on oxygen for everyday life. I wanted to start this blog so that others could share their story. I wanted them to feel that they had a voice and a story to tell. This is something that is becoming more and more dear to my heart. I hope as you read their stories that you laugh, cry, and feel inspired by each person. They are amazing people, who have never given up on life despite their circumstances.